The Crown of Kronos: Chapter 31
Victoria’s P.O.V The owl stared at us with its shining beady eyes, its gigantic metal legs cautiously moving towards us. Charlie stepped forward and approached it. “C-Charlie, are you sure this is safe?” I bit my lip, looking at its glinting furs. “But you said that it had to be a gift from Mom.” “Yeah, I’m no longer sure.” “It’s an owl. Who else would send it? Don’t worry.” She assured, maintaining eye contact with the owl. Gently, she patted its head. The metal owl closed its eyes and spread its wings, sending all of us gasping in surprise. Its metal beak flung open, revealing a speaker. “Charlie, are you there?” A voice called. Athena. “Y-yeah.” She raised an eyebrow. “Oh thank goodness. Ride this owl, sweetheart. It is occupied with seats and seatbelts. It will lead you to Stonehenge. Your father’s there. But on the way, you will save Aphrodite and Eros.” "Wait. Eros was poisoned too?" Alex' eyes widened. "Yes, child. Poseidon barely escaped the trap in the place where Aphrodite was poisoned, but Eros... He couldn't." "Where are they?" "Compiegne Forest." The goddess replied. "I believe in you." She confidently said. The beak went shut and the bird’s metal eyelids flung open. “Hop on?” Zarana asked. “Hop on.” Alex confirmed. I had to help everyone get in, because they weren’t tall enough and nobody else could fly (well, except for Z. She was just plain too lazy to fly). I sat in the back of the owl and strapped the seatbelt on. The owl made a tiny “woo hoo” and started flapping its wings, sending a huge wave of wind towards its surroundings. Suddenly, it ran towards the Eiffel Tower, sending us screaming in panic. “We’re gonna crash!” I screamed, holding on to the bottom of my seat. Some tourists looked at it, fascinated, probably thinking it was some sort of attraction. Just a few inches away from the tower, it spread its broad wings. I closed my eyes and felt it making a sudden turn and flew vertically. "I feel sick..." I said, covering my mouth. "Don't." Zarana hissed. I nodded weakly. We reached the top of the tower and the bird flew straight northeast, flapping its wings. "What do you think the trap is?" Alex asked. "I don't know, it probably involves someone hiding in the bushes, but I don't know." Charlie replied. "All we can do is cross our fingers." Charlie told me that it was going to take around half an hour, so I decided to take a tiny nap. I leaned back on my seat and shut my heavy eyelids. "Vic!" I heard someone whisper. A blast of water hit my face, sending me screaming awake. "Hey!" I yelled. "I told you it was gonna wake her up." Alex chuckled victoriously. Charlie rolled her eyes and returned the water to a cloud above us. A low "woo hoo" came out of the metal bird's beak, and I knew we were about to land. The bird soared downwards in such a speed that my face was pulled backwards. I started screaming in horror, hanging onto my seat. Below us were lush, green trees, forming a forest. We landed with violently, and I hit my head on the back of my seat. "Ouch..." I groaned. "Let's go." Zarana ordered. The owl's eyes went shut. We tried searching for the mother and child, but they seemed to be nowhere to be found. Then suddenly, a familiar, sweet, attracting smell reached my nostrils. I remembered smelling this when I walked into the Aphrodite Cabin for the slumber party (don't ask). "Follow me." I said. The others shrugged and walked behind me. The smell kept getting stronger and stronger each time I walked east, so I kept walking. I spotted a beautiful woman, probably in her 20s, with long, blond hair, and a white dress lying down on the ground, sleeping. Next to her was a handsome, younger man... Wait a second. "There!" I squealed in excitement and ran towards them. The others ran behind me, and we finally reached them. Alex pulled out the vial of antidote, but Charlie stopped us. "Wait a second. Guys, don't you sense something wrong?" She frowned. "What?" Zarana asked. I started remembering our journey. It was flawless. "It's too easy." I concluded, followed by Charlie's nod of agreement. "Nonsense." Alex smirked. Suddenly, I heard a small click. Then a blinding flash of light flashed before us, followed by a loud BOOM and an enormous force that sent us flying backwards. Then I passed out. I woke up inside an enormous net woven of a silver-ish material. I looked around to see all my team mates trapped in the same type of nest as I was. Alex groaned and opened her eyes, followed by Charlie. Zarana, meanwhile, was still knocked out. "ZARANA!" Alex yelled, sending her jumping awake. "Wha?" Her eyes widened. "What happened? I'll get you out of here!" She took out her sword. I smiled, knowing that she was skilled with weapons. She tried slicing the net, but it was rather pointless. A cold, bloodchilling chuckle emerged from behind us. We turned back to see a tanned, wrinkled woman in her 40s, her eyes covered with shades. Her hair was covered with the hood of her white jacket. "It won't work, darling. The net is invulnerable to anything, except for something as powerful as a god's divine form. Your uncle, Poseidon barely escaped it. He was rather... Lucky that he could quickly gain his divine power before he was poisoned." She smirked. "Stheno." Charlie gasped. Category:The Crown of Kronos Category:Chapter Page